Read about a few of our alumni and the role Blessed Sacrament played in their lives:

Marcus

I was born and raised in the Lawndale neighborhood and I’m a graduate of University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. As a child and adolescent, Blessed Sacrament instilled positive principles and values in me such as respect, perseverance, hard-work, etc. all while keeping me out of the dangerous streets of Chicago. Blessed Sacrament believed in me because they knew I had the potential to make something positive of myself. Without the positive environment of Blessed Sacrament, who knows what type of trouble or mess I would be involved in on this day.

Tashiana

For over the past 15 years plus, Blessed Sacrament has been part of my life is some way or another. As a young child growing up on the westside of Chicago there were not too many places to go where my parents felt like I can be safe, meet new friends, develop as a person, and much more. I remember the girls’ nights, rollerblading, the talent shows, Mavis Beacon in the computer labs, the foosball tournaments, getting help with homework, etc. Without a doubt in my mind, Blessed Sacrament means a lot to me and it helped me to become the person I am today.

Rapheal

I started attending Blessed Sacrament when I was only 9 years old and it has been part of my life for over 20 years now. When I was younger I used to have behavioral problems a lot but after coming to the youth center and being around positive role models I became more respectful. I was introduced to a lot of things through the youth center like skating, foosball, typing but the main thing that I learned was to respect myself and to respect others. I am currently now working in the community to teach younger people the positive things that I was taught at the youth center.

Shondra

Blessed Sacrament holds a special place in my heart. I have experienced so much with the Youth Center from my first job as a day camp counselor, the tutoring program on Saturdays, pottery classes, choir performances, fashion shows, the taste of Blessed Sacrament, my first trip to Canada, the writing program, college tours and so much more. All of these experiences allowed me to see that there was more to life and pushed me to go to college which I did and finished in 2010. I love the Blessed Sacrament and enjoyed the experiences that were afforded to me.